LOS ANGELES -- The City Council voted Friday to spend $25 million on improvements around the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in hopes of luring an NFL team back to the city.
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Under the plan, the city Community Redevelopment Agency would issue $25 million in bonds for street widening, site clearing and other work near the Coliseum, which would be paid for by expected tax revenue from the stadium.

In coming years, the city estimates it could spend up to $121 million more for additional transit and other improvements, which would also be funded by stadium taxes.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has said public funds will not be used for a proposed $800 million renovation at the Coliseum. The city-funded improvements approved by the Council amount to incentives to make the city's NFL pitch more attractive.

"The dollars will be limited to improvements around the stadium, not the actual construction," said Villaraigosa spokesman Joe Ramallo.

City officials hope NFL owners, who meet in Denver next week, will bring a team to the Coliseum by the 2009 season.

Under the city plan, the Coliseum would be extensively renovated with money from the NFL.

The Coliseum is used by the University of Southern California football team. It hasn't hosted a professional team since the Raiders left after the 1994 season.
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As for the topic - the only good reason we need an NFL team here in So Cal is so that we can have a chance of the Packers or Steelers coming to town! Otherwise it would just be an annoyance for everyone else when blackout rules start applying for a team you don't care about.

The NFL is seeing $$$$ in the LA market, with large corporate types willing to pony up for suites, advertising, etc. and they also really want a presence in the # 2 televisoin market in the country.

It is, I feel, inevitable the NFL will be back in LA within 2 years. The question is whowill make the move. It seems that NO would be the front runner at this point, but if I were a Viking fan I would be somewhat concerned. The Twins and Gophers just recently got stadium deals, but no action was taken on the Vikes.

I talked to a reliable contact of mine in the league office today, he told me that the leagues goal is to get a team to L.A. within the next five years.

The NFL is not interested in expansion so they are clearly looking to move an existing team out to Los Angeles.

According to him the 3 most likely candidates as of now are Arizona, San Diego, and believe it or not the Green Bay Packers, the league sees this as the perfect opportunity to move its smallest market to its second biggest.

Just though I'd share that little piece of inside info with all you guys, Good day.

I talked to a reliable contact of mine in the league office today, he told me that the leagues goal is to get a team to L.A. within the next five years.

The NFL is not interested in expansion so they are clearly looking to move an existing team out to Los Angeles.

According to him the 3 most likely candidates as of now are Arizona, San Diego, and believe it or not the Green Bay Packers, the league sees this as the perfect opportunity to move its smallest market to its second biggest.

Just though I'd share that little piece of inside info with all you guys, Good day.

I talked to a reliable contact of mine in the league office today, he told me that the leagues goal is to get a team to L.A. within the next five years.

The NFL is not interested in expansion so they are clearly looking to move an existing team out to Los Angeles.

According to him the 3 most likely candidates as of now are Arizona, San Diego, and believe it or not the Green Bay Packers, the league sees this as the perfect opportunity to move its smallest market to its second biggest.

Just though I'd share that little piece of inside info with all you guys, Good day.

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This has to be a load of "you know what". The Packers CAN'T leave Green Bay......EVER. It's OWNED by the community. It can't be sold, ever. So whatever inside source you are talking about better stop hitting the sauce! :wink:

Don't you think Cleveland Browns fans would have felt the exact same way in the late 80's if someone told them they'd be in Baltimore within a decade?

Things are about to change big time, with Favre's retirment imminent the Pack are looking at about 7-8 consectutive losing seasons, this will only make it easier for the league to pull the plug so to speak

Don't you think Cleveland Browns fans would have felt the exact same way in the late 80's if someone told them they'd be in Baltimore within a decade?

Things are about to change big time, with Favre's retirment imminent the Pack are looking at about 7-8 consectutive losing seasons, this will only make it easier for the league to pull the plug so to speak

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WOW.....2 post so far.......0 for 2.

A couple more posts and you could equal the vikings Super Bowl record!!!

Look, I can see how this may seem absurd, Forbes rates the Packers as the 13th most valuable franchise in the league

However, if you have vision and look down the road, it's fairly apparent that they have reached their apex in terms of value to the league and will soon start dropping as the product on the field worses and in turn so does fan loyalty

Erstwhile the lower valued teams such as San Diego and Arizona are on the rise with young talent and newer venues, it kind of adds up, I wouldn't panic, but you can't discount this possibility

As for the assertion that Aaron Rodgers is "a solid young QB", well lets just say that doozy caused me to spit my morning coffee all over my monitor, an instant classic to be sure

Look, I can see how this may seem absurd, Forbes rates the Packers as the 13th most valuable franchise in the league

However, if you have vision and look down the road, it's fairly apparent that they have reached their apex in terms of value to the league and will soon start dropping as the product on the field worses and in turn so does fan loyalty

Erstwhile the lower valued teams such as San Diego and Arizona are on the rise with young talent and newer venues, it kind of adds up, I wouldn't panic, but you can't discount this possibility

As for the assertion that Aaron Rodgers is "a solid young QB", well lets just say that doozy caused me to spit my morning coffee all over my monitor, an instant classic to be sure

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NOTHING can or will happen with GB under the current CBA, which if I am not mistaken goes through 2011. Furthermore, as long as future CBA's cover revenue sharing, salary caps, etc. as the previous ones have done NOTHING will happen to the GB franchise. You could paint a scenerio in which owners greed trumps common sense and these current ammenities disappear. Under those circumstances, you would have a situation much like baseball several years ago(and to some extent today), where revenues are disparate and smaller market franchises could be in trouble. You still would have the problem of public ownership of the franchise, tradition, and other factors that would make it extremely unlikely that this would happen.

This sounds to me like a pipe dream, with a miniscule chance of ever happening.

PS - A-Rod is young, only 23 years old. He is solid because he was heavily considered for the #1 selection by the niners. The coaches have said he has looked good in camp, has shown improvment and leadership. AND I said he had potential, meaning he can evolve into a star, and that he isn't one already.

and yes, being considered for a first doesn't transfer to a solid NFL career. however, the difference between Smith and Rodgers is...you haven't seen Rodgers play yet. calling him garbage is just as premature as calling him solid.